Because it is located at the junction of the Ottoman Empire and the Timurid Khanate, the ownership of Hedland City has always been unclear. Anyway, whoever's troops come over will follow whose orders.
Facing the sudden arrival of the Ming Dynasty's army, the people in the city were immediately frightened and fled back home one by one, with their doors and windows closed.
It was so quiet on the street that even the dogs didn't dare to bark.
Zhu Qizhen looked at the surrounding environment with confusion in his heart.
Hedland in later generations was one of the most prosperous cities in Central Asia. How could it be like this?
Most of the shops on both sides of the street have been closed, their doors and windows are in dilapidated condition, and their walls are covered with mud and dust.
The residential buildings in the distance are even more miserable, even simpler than the slums of a large Eastern country in later generations, and you can even see many thatched houses.
This kind of house doesn't even have walls. The walls are surrounded by branches and the top is covered with thatch, which is considered a house.
To be precise, it should be called a shed.
It's hard to imagine how this kind of house can protect against wind and rain. It seems that it can't be protected at all...
"Yuan Bin!"
"I'm here!"
Zhu Qizhen took a deep breath and ordered: "Go and see who is in charge here. It is best to find someone who can speak Chinese."
Yuan Bin led his people to leave the main force and returned only a quarter of an hour later.
Behind him, there were two more people, one wearing a white robe, but with patches all over his body, and the other wearing linen clothes.
It can be seen from the clothes of these two people that the man in white robe is probably a noble or a local official, while the man in linen robe is just a commoner.
It's just that... the person dressed as a civilian doesn't seem to be from the area.
Because his eye sockets are deeper, his nose is stronger, and his eyes are blue, he looks more like a European or a mixed race.
The two men knelt down tremblingly. The man in the white robe muttered something, but the other man said in broken Chinese: "Kowtow to His Majesty the Ming Emperor!"
Zhu Qizhen's eyes lit up and he asked: "What is your name and why can you speak Chinese?"
"My name is Rui Claviyo. I went to Ming Dynasty about twenty years ago."
"What to do?"
"Trading, selling gold and silverware, sesame oil, perfume and other items from Jerusalem to the Ming Dynasty, then buying silk, porcelain, tea, etc. from the Ming Dynasty and selling them back."
Zhu Qizhen suddenly became interested and asked: "How about the profits from trading?"
“It’s very impressive, and you’ll get a lot of profit from this trip.”
"If that's the case, why didn't you do it later?"
Rui looked regretful: "The goods were robbed, and I lost all my money..."
Zhu Qizhen thought about it and realized that twenty years ago was when he had just succeeded to the throne. At that time, the late emperor passed away and the Oara and other forces in the north began to expand.
One characteristic of the Wala people is that they are poor, very poor.
Even the iron pots for cooking are extremely scarce. It would be strange not to be robbed when encountering a caravan at this time!
"Tell me more about the situation here. Why is it so dilapidated?"
Rui nodded, pointed to the man in white robes beside him and said, "This is Pope Moravi, the leader of Tehran."
Zhu Qizhen took a look and found that this pope was really shabby. Although his temperament was acceptable, his patched clothes...for some reason, always reminded people of Kong Yiji in Mr. Lu Xun's works.
"Can he speak Chinese?"
Rui shook his head and said: "No."
"Tell him that I am the Son of Heaven. I am passing through Tehran today and may stay for a while."
Rui turned to translate, and Moravi looked at Zhu Qizhen doubtfully, his eyes full of surprise, and then he replied in a gibbering voice.
Zhu Qizhen waited impatiently and asked, "What did he say?"
"He said... he doesn't know about the Ming Dynasty, and he doesn't believe in your identity, His Majesty the Emperor."
Zhu Qizhen smiled, pointed at the soldiers and horses behind him, and said, "Ask him if he believes in these soldiers and horses?"
Sure enough, Molavi looked at the three thousand murderous soldiers and nodded vigorously.
Rui added: "Pope Moravi has invited His Majesty the Emperor to come to the city."
The city was so small that Zhu Qizhen had to order his troops to camp outside the city. He took Li Zhen, Yuan Bin, Beilin and others to the city along with Rui and Molavi.
"His Majesty the Emperor, we have arrived."
Zhu Qizhen looked up and saw a cathedral in front of him.
However, this church has been in disrepair for a long time. The exterior walls are peeling off and the bricks are mottled. The same is true inside, making it feel like it may collapse at any time.
Molavi first knelt in front of the statue and prayed, muttering something in his mouth.
Zhu Qizhen looked around, then found a place to sit down, and called Lu Yi over.
"From what I see, you look like a Frankie."
Rui's eyes lit up and he said: "His Majesty the Emperor has been to Franji?"
Zhu Qizhen shook his head and said, "I just heard about it."
"oh……"
Ruy nodded and said, "Actually, my father is from the Netherlands and later went to Jerusalem for business."
The Netherlands is the Netherlands of later generations and is a typical European.
Zhu Qizhen then continued to ask: "Then why did you not stay in Jerusalem but come to this place?"
"well……"
Rui sighed first, and then said: "Twenty years ago, on my way back from Ming Dynasty, I was robbed by the Mongols. I lost all my goods and begged all the way back. When I passed by Tehran, it was the gentle Martha who took me in.
I……"
"Martha...who is it?"
"She was a geisha. Every time I passed through Tehran, I would stay overnight at her house."
Zhu Qizhen secretly thought that she was probably not a serious singing prostitute...
"Since then, I have stayed in Tehran and lived with Martha. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. Ten years ago, Martha suffered from the terrible Black Death. In order to treat her, I spent all my money.
All my savings failed to keep her in the end..."
Seeing the sad look on Ru Yi's face, Zhu Qizhen could only say: "Excuse me, um... Let's talk about the current situation. I have read from history books that Tehran is a very prosperous city. What exactly is it?
Why is it so dilapidated?"
"It's all caused by years of fighting!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Rui shook his head and sighed again, and said: "A long time ago, Tehran was indeed an important city on the Silk Road. However, with the advent of the Timur Khanate and the
During the wars between the Ottoman Empire, trade routes had long ceased to exist, adult men were captured to join the army, and even the food grown on the land was taken in turns by armies of both sides. Tehran has long since lost its vitality."
Zhu Qizhen was silent for a moment, then waved and ordered someone to take out the map.
Beilin unfolded the map. There was an area circled with charcoal, and there was a place marked in red with the word Herat, which was where the capital of the Timur Khanate was located.
"This is the general territory of the Timur Khanate that my people have circled based on intelligence. Come and take a look. Are there any mistakes?"
Rui stared at the map for a long time, and then said: "The part of the border close to Tehran is very accurate, and the location of Herat is no problem. I don't know the rest."
At this time, Molavi finished his prayer and stepped forward and said: #￥%*\u0026amp;...
Zhu Qizhen looked at Rui, who hurriedly translated: "Pope Moravi asked where your majesty is from, because he has not heard of the Ming Empire. We have had many armies here. In addition to Osman and Timur,
There are also other forces that claim to be God’s spokesperson.”
"Who is there?"
"There are Mongols, Romans, and Rakshasa people from the north. This place belongs to the Third Hand. Anyone can loot it. The local people are miserable."
Zhu Qizhen glanced at Molavi next to him and said, "Where is your god? His people are suffering, why don't you come out and take care of them?"
When Lu Yi heard this, he was stunned. He seemed to have never thought about this question.
Molavi looked at the conversation between the two with confusion on his face, so Rui had no choice but to relay the question.
The two briefly chatted for a few words, and then Ruy said: "The Pope said that suffering is part of life."
This time it was Zhu Qizhen's turn to be speechless and said: "I have never seen your gods, but I understand one thing. Gods are afraid of evil people, and evil people are most afraid of the spears and cannons in my hands. Don't tell me this..."
"Moravi."
"Well, you tell him that I come from the far east. From now on, the Ottoman Empire has been officially included in the territory of the Ming Dynasty. As for the Timur Khanate, if they understand and are willing to give up the Western Regions, I will not lose money to him.
Everyone makes money, and mutual benefit can lead to a win-win situation. On the contrary, my army will mobilize and beat Timur into a pie!"
After hearing this, Rui was shocked. Communications in this era were not developed, and the news of the Ming Dynasty's conquest of the Ottomans had not yet come.
Moreover, the tone of the other party is really too loud. With just a few thousand of you, you are going to make a fool of others. You must know that the Timur Empire is a legacy of the Mongol Empire. From the time Genghis Khan conquered Khwarezm, it has been
It expanded its territory to the borders of the Ottoman Empire and occupied the entire Central Asia region.
When the Oara was strong, the two sides fought over the area from Hami to Shanshan. In the end, the Oara actually controlled the Hami Guard, and the west became the sphere of influence of the Timurid Empire. After the Ming Dynasty took over the Hami Guard, it did not expand westward, and both sides also
It's considered peaceful.
Except for the Western Regions, the Timur Empire's territory has extended to most of India. In terms of territory alone, it is no smaller than the Ming Dynasty and the Ottoman Empire, or even larger.
Rui has been to the Ming Dynasty and knows the strength of the Ottomans. He does not think that the strength gap between the two sides is big. If one big country wants to destroy another big country, it will not happen overnight. The two sides may have to fight for hundreds of years, and they may not be able to do so.
Decide the winner.
"Why, you don't believe it?"
Zhu Qizhen saw the confusion on the other person's face and turned around to greet Beilin.
Beilin circled the area actually controlled by the Ming Dynasty on the map, and then explained it to Rui.
The current situation is that the Ming Dynasty, Ceylon Island, the Ottomans and the Yenisei River area just captured by Tottobokha surrounded the Timur Khanate from all directions.
In other words, the Timur Khanate has become a nail in the Ming Dynasty's sphere of influence.
Rui was shocked and speechless. In just a few years, the world situation has changed drastically.
"Your Majesty the Emperor, since the sea route has been connected, why do you still need to compete with the Timur Khanate for the Western Region?"
Zhu Qizhen smiled lightly and said: "The Western Region has been the inherent territory of the Ming Dynasty since ancient times. It has been stolen by the young people for many years. It should have been returned long ago. I came to take it in person, and I have given them enough face!"
The historical thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions have gone through changes, and now there are only a dozen left. However, they are all located within the sphere of influence of the Timur Khanate and have no autonomy at all.
If this problem is not solved, the Silk Road will never be connected.
Rui was still in a state of confusion at this time. Is the young general in front of him really the emperor of tomorrow?
Even if you are the emperor of tomorrow, but you only have 3,000 people with you, although it seems to be well-equipped and the soldiers have high combat literacy, are you sure you want to go to war with the Timur Khanate?
This place is only more than a thousand miles away from Herat, the capital of the Timur Khanate. People can easily mobilize tens of thousands of people. Moreover, this is their territory. In war, it depends on the right time, place, and people. You are not the same.
Take it!
Morave looked at Zhu Qizhen and then at Rui, with question marks on his face.
What are they talking about?
Where did this person come from?
Where is Daming?
Why didn't those soldiers outside start looting?
Two nuns stood in the distance, holding kettles and cups in their hands. Although their faces were covered, the fear in their eyes was clearly visible.
Molavi called them forward and served tea.
Zhu Qizhen looked at the tea cup. It seemed to be made of silver, but it was pitch black. He didn't know whether it was due to poor smelting technology or serious wear and tear over time.
Tea is also the lowest quality brick tea. The advantage of this kind of tea is that it is easy to store and transport. However, looking at the tea stems that are like tree branches is enough to show the degree of inferiority. In the Ming Dynasty, even ordinary people did not drink it. It was only available in restaurants.
Only the free tea prepared for guests can use this kind of brick tea.
Li Zhen picked up the cup and smelled it, with a look of disgust on her face.
Yuan Bin looked cautious because he was not sure whether this tea would become thin after drinking it...
Rui's eyes shone brightly, he picked up the tea cup and took a sip slowly, and then said: "Your Majesty, this is the oriental tea collected by Pope Moravi. It may be very common in the Ming Dynasty, but it is very precious here, and I would never let it go at ordinary times.
take it out."
Zhu Qizhen took a sip carefully, with a complicated expression on his face.
"Beilene, bring us your own tea."
Beilin got up and walked out of the church. Not long after, she came back carrying a bag of tea, followed by Tong Xuan and others, holding kettles and cups.
"Excuse me, where is the kitchen?"
Rui chatted with Molavi for a few words, and then took someone to boil water. Soon, the aroma of tea overflowed.
Molavi looked at the exquisite ceramic tea cup and the clear and bright tea soup in the cup, and his eyes widened.
Zhu Qizhen smiled faintly and said, "Try it!"
Molavi hurriedly reached out to take it, but was stopped by Rui. The two were talking and making gestures. Molavi finally understood that this was a reward from the emperor and he must thank him first.
I saw him leaning down and lowering his head, mumbling something. Although I couldn't understand it, I could imagine that it was nothing more than polite words such as the Lord will bless you.
Rui also bowed and saluted, and said with a respectful expression: "Thank you, His Majesty the Emperor, for the reward."